Qigong balls

[sjzllc00]

The qigong balls are said to have a great healing therapy on your nerves and are great for muscle tone in your hands wrists and forearms. As you rotate the balls in your hand, they chime and relax you. The balls are metal, hollow and have chiming sounding plates inside. Play them to relax and reduce stress. Beautiful silk covered box and instructions included.

 

When taking exercise, put the two qigong balls on your palm, and crook and stretch the five fingers in sequence to cause the balls to rotate and revolve, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

[soaring crane]

'Healthy Iron Balls', love them!

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

...

Edited April 26, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[soaring crane]

Hey that's what they're really called, wasn't joking for once! Haha

[thelerner]

I remember one student who went the emergency room because he thought the iron balls were referencing his more personal balls. They were unwound and he was released. Sadly he was back at Emergency the next week with the same problem.

'You know the exercise refers to 'Tai chi Balls', why did you do it again?'

He replied 'well, it felt kinda good'.

 

kidding

but..

I've seen at least one book of exercises for them. Most commonly circle them around the palm without touching together. Even some exercises using 4! Moving 3 in a circle and one balanced on top. Never tried that one myself.

[GrandmasterP]

For UK posters.

http://www.orientalworld.co.uk/

 

You can buy all your kit direct and at trade prices from these guys.

There is no minimum order.

Their balls are excellent they even do a set with YinYang symbols on.

Make lovely gifts those do.

Edited April 27, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Do you think my soon to be ex wife would like a set?

 

/me sighs.

 

I never felt so low.

 

Solo.

 

...

Edited April 27, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[GrandmasterP]

My ex wife had mine already!

Why so glum Cap?

Edited April 27, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[cheya]

We've had a number of threads on these on TTB.

Here's what I wrote on one of them:

"A couple years ago, I inherited two identical sets of Baoding balls. They were two inches in diameter, much bigger than the single small set I'd had for years, and I thought they would just be too big to handle. I'd been working alot with feeling energy in my chi gung practice, and when I finallly did pick them up, I was shocked at what I felt. The energy traveled up my arms to my head, down to my feet, back up to my head, back out to my hands. It wasn't a perfect circuit, and it didn't follow meridians, but it was very palpable. I was stunned. I mean, that is what the chinese say the balls do, but it just never occurred to me that the effect would be palpable! I didn't expect to be able to repeat the effect, but indeed, it happens every time I pick up the balls!

I've become somewhat obsessed with Chinese balls, and have bought many pairs on eBay, which I make available for my massage clients. Some balls precipitate the energy effect more than others. Some hints: In general, I need balls in both hands to feel the effect. The old heavier type of balls are much more effective than the new lighter balls, which hardly do anything at all. The heavier balls, having more mass, have a stronger physical vibration. Look for two sets of balls that are at least two inches in diameter (6.5 inch circumference) that weigh at least 13 oz per pair without the box. That's not so easy to do. The new balls are plastic or something, weigh even only half as much as the old ones (pre 1985). Some of the 2" ones weigh as little as 6-8 oz.! Their chime sounds all right, but the sound doesn't convey as vibration the same way, as you can imagine. I think it is the vibration, not the sound, that generates the energetic effect.

Some martial arts places sell big stainless steel balls which have fairly good chiming resonance even though they aren't from the old stocks. Easy to get two matched sets that way. If you can examine them in person, you can pick sets with more appealing and harmonious sound, which is a plus. My dogs leave the room when I start using those stainless balls though!"

[GrandmasterP]

The drawback with balls is that you can't do any mudras with your hands full.

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

My ex wife had mine already!
Why so glum Cap?

 

I had a mystical experience, my wife refused to listen or even try to understand.

 

To her it was all delusion and mental illness.

 

Which somewhat fails to acknowledge the reality of my spiritual experiences.

 

I was sectioned for two and a half months at a hospital in South London.

 

She is divorcing me.

 

She doesn't want to be married to someone who is "mentally ill."

 

I have agreed to it.

 

But it's sad really.

 

I miss the children I used to look after all week.

 

They were my joy.

 

And I loved my wife.

 

I didn't think I treated her badly.

 

I dare say she would differ.

 

But often I feel that I am the victim of this whole affair.

 

I have happily agreed now to the divorce though.

 

It will go through quickly.

 

I never wanted to leave home.

 

My wife gave me no choice.

 

...

Edited April 27, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[GrandmasterP]

Bummer.

 

:-(

Edited April 27, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Yeah.

 

I'm gettin' blown away.

 

Like a Hurricane.

 

I don't feel dissociated or numb at all.

 

I feel very deeply.

...

Edited April 27, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[GrandmasterP]

If ever a family baby smiled at me the ex Mother in Law would say...

" S/he's got wind."

Edited April 27, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[iradie]

...

 

I had a mystical experience, my wife refused to listen or even try to understand.

 

To her it was all delusion and mental illness.

 

Which somewhat fails to acknowledge the reality of my spiritual experiences.

 

I was sectioned for two and a half months at a hospital in South London.

 

She is divorcing me.

 

She doesn't want to be married to someone who is "mentally ill."

 

I have agreed to it.

 

But it's sad really.

 

I miss the children I used to look after all week.

 

They were my joy.

 

And I loved my wife.

 

I didn't think I treated her badly.

 

I dare say she would differ.

 

But often I feel that I am the victim of this whole affair.

 

I have happily agreed now to the divorce though.

 

It will go through quickly.

 

I never wanted to leave home.

 

My wife gave me no choice.

 

...

It can be difficult staying married to a person who does not understand and respect your cultivating other forms of reality.

 

don't fall into despair

even when the suffering is intense and the loss is huge, it does not mean it is the end, just on the way.

but of course

nothing like that is easy,

I hope you can find a lot of courage and help in the coming times.

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

I am very moved when any offer me support.

 

Thank you ever so much Iradie.

 

I really appreciate those kind words.

 

I don't know where I am going or what I am doing any more.

 

;(

...

[iradie]

When I suffer great losses I try to think of a story my teacher told us : His master who was an Yi sheng (doctor of chinese medecine) who also cultivated daoism said :

You should live your life like at the hotel. When you go for a holiday and stay in a hotel, would you think about taking back home the king sized bed, or the swimming pool, the room service... ? You wander from hotel to hotel each one has a particular quality, each one offers you special comfort and you enjoy it, but you could not take it back home.

It should be the same thing with everything we live : the people we meet, the things we own, the places we live in, we should enjoy them and cherish them as long as they are there, but we don't own them, we don't own the people we live with, not even our own body or life, it can also disapear from one day to the other.

 

When we loose our loved ones, or the things which constitute our material security, work, home, money... we feel so lost and naked as if we had lost our life, our way. But we have not. We must move one, try to heal the émotions, the feeling of loss it causes us, and go on living our life and searching for the dao. Often on this road we meet new people who are fellows on the way.

The spiritual path is not an easy path, and I think it is also a path of "destitution". I don't know if it is the right word, or of it is right thought ?

 

As daoist apprentice we have a lot of tools to help us. Wisdomswords and texts, practices, fellows on the way, and also more concrete tools. I think about the theme of this discussion : qi gong balls. I wonder in wich context baodingballs are used in daoist temples? I have never seen it. But in chinese medicine it is recommended for many affections, sowell physical as mental or emotional. Baoding balls can also contribute soothing the mind.

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

The spiritual path is not an easy path, and I think it is also a path of "destitution". I don't know if it is the right word, or of it is right thought?

 

Destitute.

 

Yes.

 

Des

 

Tit

 

U

 

2.

 

xxx.

 

ps it ain' eazy bein' zum bodhi...

...

Edited April 28, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[joeblast]

rough, cap'n...but imho better to be free of a significant other that has zero understanding, zero desire to understand, nay even disdain for, things in your life that are of utmost sincerity and importance? I got divorced for the same reason.